


the shell of a man who once was

by timefighter



Series: TILL DEATH — dream smp [12]
Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Cara | CaptainPuffy is Clay | Dream's Parent, Clay | Dream Needs a Hug (Video Blogging RPF), Clay | Dream-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Dream is in Prison, Gen, Headcanon, Mentioned Sam | Awesamdude, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sheep Hybrid Cara | CaptainPuffy, dreamon moment, first time writing dream’s headass, the ONE BIT of dream apologist you’ll see from me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 07:55:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,251
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29572833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/timefighter/pseuds/timefighter
Summary: the wards on pandora’s vault expel the dreamon from dream, and his mother comes to visit him in prison.
Relationships: Cara | CaptainPuffy & Clay | Dream
Series: TILL DEATH — dream smp [12]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2128614
Comments: 8
Kudos: 169





	the shell of a man who once was

**Author's Note:**

> aha dream angst? my first time writing big d so be nice!!! jk idc  
> notice: im not a dream apologist i would NEVER,,, this is simply a headcanon :)

Dream remembers the moment the Dreamon took hold of his body. He should never have made this server, should never have opened his mind and body to potential attacks of the In Between.

To most, the In Between was a haven, a place of rest and recovery. But if you traveled far enough, if you were as reckless and stupid as Dream was… you’d find the horrors that lurked beyond the outer rim. Inside the city, it was all gleaming buildings and soft sounds, a gentle breeze the constant reminder that the In Between was simply an intermission— and then you leave.

When Dream stepped beyond the border that night, he was already gone. Armed to the teeth, he was convinced he was invincible. Nothing could hurt a man with nothing to lose, right?

Wrong. Dream _thought_ he had nothing to lose. He hadn’t considered the freedom of his own mind or body. The way the Dreamon ripped into him was… terrifying. It wound around his mind so easily, feeding him lies of power and whispers of control.

The Dreamon promised him he’d rule without contest, and then locked him inside of his own skull. When Dream returned to his server, he was the shell of a man who once was. He manipulated and coerced his friends, family, and foes.

He manipulated Wilbur, got him to press the button.  
He manipulated Technoblade, got him to summon the Withers.  
He manipulated Tubbo, got him to exile his best friend.  
He manipulated Philza, got him to destroy his son’s home once more.  
He manipulated Tommy, got him to believe he was alone in the world.

Well, except for Dream, of course. Because they were best friends, right? Dream didn’t come and visit him for nothing.  
The Dreamon visited Tommy to gaslight him, Dream only wanted escape.

When they put him in prison, Sam’s prison, the prison Dream commissioned, he was relieved.  
Relieved, because the Dreamon could no longer control the server, or him.

Dream still feels like a shell of a human being. He still can’t remember parts of what he did, but he knows the worst of it. He remembers the feeling of the Dreamon’s icy, dark reign, the way its claws raked down his back at night, the way its hands choked him and sent him to his knees.

The tiny bit of hold over himself he’d relinquished while possessed was wearing that damn smiley mask. He hated it, but it hid his blackened eyes, hid the control of the Dreamon. They would’ve killed him if they knew.

He wishes they did.

The wards Sam put on the prison expelled the demon from Dream’s body. Let him back into his own mind, his own body. He had the ability to move his own limbs, speak his own words again.  
The mask was unnecessary. Dream had thrown it into the lava, watched it melt into nothing.

Now, as Dream sits on the warm obsidian floor of his cell, book and quill in hand as he writes stories he’ll never let anyone see, Sam tells him he has a visitor.

His mother appears in the gloom of his cell. Her brown hair is longer now, her horns still curling around her velveteen ears. She has another piercing, too. Her boots click as she comes to stand in front of him, removing her sunglasses. Soft eyes stare down at him, and Dream wants to sob.

“Oh, duckling,” she murmurs, lowering to her knees in front of him. Dream doesn’t allow himself to touch her.  
He doesn’t deserve to, doesn’t deserve the warm embrace of his mother after all the pain he’s caused. He stares at his hands, flinching when she takes them in hers.

“What happened to you, duckling?” Puffy knows him too well.  
Dream stays silent, not trusting his voice.  
“I want to believe the person these people know isn’t you. I know it isn’t you. I know you, duckling.”  
Do you? He wants to say.  
He doesn’t even know himself, not anymore.  
“I know you came back different when you went to the In Between,” she tells him, and that’s all it takes.

Dream throws himself into her arms, his mother instantly embracing him. Her hands card through his hair gently, soft whispers passing her lips as Dream lets himself unravel.

Tears. Tears stream down his freckled cheeks, soaking the red fabric of his mother’s shirt. She holds him as he sobs, genty rocking as if he’s six years old and coming home with skinned knees again.

He remembers that day. He’d been playing at the park with friends, friends who no longer have faces. They were older than him, and, truthfully, weren’t really his friends. One had pushed him off the swing, his knees hitting the pavement. Soft skin ripped open, and he’s not afraid to admit he bawled. They’d laughed at him, laughed as he stood and walked home alone. Puffy had greeted him inside, gasping when she saw his bruised legs and bloody palms.

Now, he’s burying his face in the crook of her neck and letting months of pain and torture out. She holds him through it all, wiping tears off his cheeks when he finally pulls away.

“What happened, duckling?” She asks again, her voice barely there. Dream leans against the wall again, wrapping his arms around his knees.  
“Do you remember when I made this server, when I told you I was in a different realm?” She nods. “That was the In Between. It’s supposed to be like a pit stop for people who time travel, or are moving between servers.”

“I— you aren’t supposed to leave the city. And I did. You remember when Tubbo and Fundy were hunting Dreamons?” Dream asks.  
Puffy nods.  
“I think— I— I got… possessed. By one of them,” he adds. “I was in the In Between just before I made the server, and I went beyond the city borders, and it’s just like something… snapped. One minute I was in control, the next… I was just watching. It’s like I was sitting in the backseat and the thing was driving off a cliff.”

Puffy blows out a breath. “I’m so sorry you’re in here, duckling.”  
Dream shakes his head. “I deserve it. I fucked up everyone’s lives out there. And if I leave, the Dreamon might come back. Mom— mom, I don’t want that to happen. Promise me. Promise me you’ll keep me in here. Please,” he pleads, his hands clutching her arms.

Puffy stares at him, her wide eyes melancholy and filling with tears. “Dream…”  
“You can’t tell them. You can’t tell anyone. They’ll kill me if you do.”  
“They might believe me,” she says quietly. Dream shakes his head.  
“They won’t. I don’t know why you do. They’ll think I’m just manipulating you.”

“But you’re not,” Puffy whispers, brushing her son’s hair off his forehead.  
Dream nods. “No, I’m not. But you can’t tell them. You have to promise me, mom. Promise me you won’t tell them, and promise me that you won’t let me out.”

Puffy fixes him with her dark, red—rimmed eyes again, and finally nods. She pulls him back in for a hug, pressing a kiss to his soft hair. Dream feels another tear slip out of his eye as she draws back, calling for Sam.

“I love you, my duckling. Remember that,” she says gently, smiling softly.  
“I love you, too, mom,” Dream whispers as she’s enveloped by the lava once more.


End file.
